A Blooming Love Story (Erehisu)

Chapter 18.5-Christmas Shopping with Marco and Jean

"Ho ho hello I didn't see you there! Hi, I'm Connie Springer and for the next few side chapters, I will be the narrator of all the upcoming Christmas tales! Ahem, writer? Could you remove the quotations? Narrators don't have that!"

Okay, thank you. Now, who will we cover first? Why not Marco and Jean who are at the mall on their quest to find their moms' Christmas presents?

"AA-Achoo!"

"Are you okay, Jean? That was a big sneeze."

"Yeah, I'm fine, Marco. I never sneezed like that before."

"I heard a myth that every time someone sneezes, it's because someone is talking about them."

"Really? I bet it's my mom telling all her friends about how bad I am at gift-giving."

"We can't be experts at everything. Besides, I'm helping you out this year and I guarantee that we will find presents that both of our moms will love."

"I appreciate your optimism but how can you keep up with it all the time?"

Marco looks down in contemplation. "I don't know, maybe I prefer to be like this than the opposite. We have enough negativity in our lives."

Jean nods his head. "You're not wrong about that."

"What's going on with you and Mikasa? Didn't she leave already for the holidays?"

"She left two days ago. This year she's spending it with Levi and I think his uncle."

"Is the relationship going well?"

"With Mikasa and I?" He sighs. "I honestly don't know. At first, she was hesitant to do a relationship then she went in full steam ahead but now she's pulling back out. It's been a lot of back and forths with her mood changes."

"Do you think it's because she is still into Eren?"

Jean stops walking. "Bags."

"Bags?"

"I think my mom would like a bag, we should check this store out." He goes in without hearing Marco's confirmation.

Marco slightly frowns. He could tell Jean wants to avoid talking about Mikasa. This was the most Marco could pull out of Jean since the holiday party. It seems that parties are sure to trigger the couple. Maybe they should hold off on going to another party, parties are supposed to be fun! Now it's all drama with love triangles? Oh shit, I forgot I was narrating. My bad! Let's get back to the story.

Jean goes over to check out a big pink bag. Ew! That shade is terrible for his complexion. Ahem. He waits until Marco arrives at his side to say something. "I know it's a stereotype but women like pink, right? But I don't think I've ever seen my mom with a bag before..."

Marco clears his throat. "Your mom doesn't seem like a bag person but my mom is. She's not into flashy stuff so I'll get her a small black purse." He walks over to the black purses and begins scanning for one he thinks his mom would like.

Jean follows him, impressed by his judgment. "You're good at this, Marco. Meanwhile, I can't even remember if my mom even wears a bag!"

"Everyone has their strong suit. You're a practical guy so you probably don't notice things."

"Things like what?"

"Uh, maybe emotionally. You do notice, but you sometimes go about it directly without softening the blow."

"Oh, I didn't notice I did that."

"That's not to say it's a bad thing. It helps you be Jean Kirstein."